FIA Foundation makes €1 million fuel economy pledge at Paris Climate summit

December 1, 2015 by FIA Foundation

Categories: FIA Foundation, Global Fuel Economy Initiative, GFEI at COP21, Climate Change

GFEI has worked with the French Government to support inclusion of fuel efficiency discussions at the Climate Summit

Sheila Watson at a UNFCCC preparatory meeting in Bonn in June 2015

As well as promoting greater fuel efficiency the Foundation will join cycling and pedestrian campaigners to urge support for active mobility

The FIA Foundation is this week announcing a major new commitment to the work of the Global Fuel Economy Initiative as part of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) of the UN Climate Change negotiations in Paris.

Whilst the Climate Change talks aim to agree ambitious action between countries to limit global average temperature increases and prevent catastrophic climate impacts the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, which runs alongside the negotiations, is a global showcase of existing good practice in generating real change.

The Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) will figure extensively in the Action Agenda, showcasing new country engagements, new research and new resources as part of a series of high profile focus days on Transport (on 3rd December) and Energy (7th December). French Environment Minister Segolene Royal has written to the FIA Foundation to officially recognise GFEI as an initiative 'contributing to the momentum of COP 21'.

• As part of GFEI’s ‘100for50by50’ campaign, 40 countries will join GFEI’s work at the COP, bringing the total with which the initiative engages in vital capacity-building to 65.
• In addition to the FIA Foundation’s financial pledge, substantial new resources from the European Commission, Global Environment Facility and other GFEI partners totalling around $7 million will also be announced.
• GFEI is also launching a major new report - ‘State of the World of Fuel Economy: Time for global action’ - which highlights inadequate progress towards the GFEI target of doubling average fuel economy of new vehicles by 2030, and calls for greater commitment towards achieving the goal.

In a packed programme of events, GFEI is taking part in the International Transport Forum’s panel on sustainable mobility on December 2nd, co-hosting an official side event on Saturday 5th December: ‘Pathways to low carbon mobility through local, national, global and industry action’ - in collaboration with CTS Mexico, Clean Air Asia and IPIECA; and chairing a UNEP panel session on energy efficiency on December 7th.

The FIA Foundation is also contributing to Low Carbon Transport Day on Sunday 6th December. Environment & Research Director Sheila Watson, who is also Executive Secretary of GFEI, will contribute to a discussion on reducing vehicle emissions convened by the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). The Foundation’s Director Saul Billingsley will chair a parallel session on the role of walking and cycling, highlighting the Foundation’s support for the UNEP ‘Share the Road’ initiative supporting policy for non-motorised transport, and future funding to the World Resources Institute /Embarq to enable work with local governments to encourage the introduction of safe and accessible walking and cycling infrastructure in cities around the world, building on WRI’s ‘Cities Safer by Design’ report.

See the GFEI at COP page

For more information, see the COP21 website

FIA Foundation and GFEI events at COP21

The FIA Foundation and GFEI will be showcased in several different events at the COP.